Jaune Arc: Digital Dilemma
by Death the Pistolman
Summary: "I thought I could sneak into Beacon, pretend like I trained like them, to be a hero like my family. I was wrong. Now a deathstalker is chasing me and my new classmates, and its out for blood. Mine in particular." Jaune-centric Life is a Game story. Pairing changes each play-through. The M rating is for language only.
1. Chapter 1

**Jaune Arc: Digital Dilemma**

**Hello readers. I am proud to bring to you a Jaune Arc: Life is a Game fic. Pairing will change for each play-through.**

**Also this is rated M for LANGUAGE ONLY!**

**Enjoy.**

_Prologue_

Beacon's entrance exams. Most would believe it is a written test, as with most schools, Jaune Arc was one of these misguided fools. He applied to Beacon expecting a test on how well he knew Grimm creatures, so he wrote all the information he could find on his arms. Unfortunately for him, he found himself thrown into the Emerald Forest to fend for himself, and now, alongside his possible classmates, he is facing two Grimm creatures that seemed too strong.

"We have to get to the other side!" JJaune shouted as he saw a Deathstalker approaching Ren and Pyrrha.

"On it!" "Wha.." that was as far as Jaune got before he found himself launched off the bridge by Nora Valkyrie. After launching him, she used the grenade launcher function on her hammer to propel herself the large chasm that seperated her and Jaune from Ren and Pyrrha. The deathstalker noticing that the weakling who grabbed its stinger was defenseless in the air charged at Ren and Pyrrha, causing them to jump out of the way, and jumping into the air crashing into Jaune and sending them both plummeting into the chasm below.

"Jaune!" was all that could be heard after the collision, a cry for someone to help from Pyrrha. This drew the attention of the other students-to-be, who looked down only to see a mop of blonde hair under a deathstalker before both disappeared into the mist below.

Out of sight of his companions, Jaune couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight before him. The deathstalker that had chased him through the Emerald Forest was now plummeting to its death, just to kill him. He mentally questioned himself why he didn't count his own death from plummetting, but attributed that to the fact that the deathstalkers pincers had cut deep gashes into his arms, its mandibles taking out a bit of flesh from his torso because him armor covered most of the damaged area, and the deathstalkers stinger managing to find its mark, when it was stabbed into Jaune's shoulder. He knew the fall wouldn't kill him, his injuries would have done the job already. "I'm sorry Mom, Dad, Pyrrha, Ruby, Ren, Yang, Nora, Weiss, Blake, Jane, Juliet, Diane, Cynthia, Lucy, Jules, Miranda," was the only thought running through Jaune's head. Forcing his head to turn towards the ground, he saw the ground swiftly approaching, if someone had been at the impact site they would have heard Jaune's last words. "I failed you all."

**So what do you think?**

**Please leave a review or send a PM with any criticisms or suggestions for the story, I will consider them.**

**Flames will be thrown into the fireplace to warm up the house.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Jaune Arc: Digital Dilemma**

**Chapter 2 is here.**

**If you have any questions about the specifics of some aspects of this story, please refer to the first chapter, if it is not listed then it is meant to be kept secret until I choose to reveal the answer in the proper chapter.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 1: My Life's a Game?!_

_Jaune's POV_

As expected, I didn't feel the impact. Though it's strange that it feels like I'm alive, I feel blood pumping through my veins, but that's impossible. I'm in a void. as far as I can see, there's nothing in evey direction. "I should have known not to apply. I'm not as good as my family. I've never even been trained." Mental self-chastisement over, I let my head fall forward in depression, as I let down every person in my life, and, most likely, broke the hearts of my family as they will probably find out that the only son of the Arc family, died trying to prove himself. Someone ought to give me the "Worst Son/Brother in Existence Award."

Reflecting on my choices, I hear a small ping. Upon opening my eyes, I notice a small box seperated into four colors; Gold, Red, Orange, Green. "Great. A remainder of the three people I fought alongside of for three seconds, and how I failed them." In the middle of the box was the word "Continue." Seeing as I had nothing else to do, I pressed the button, and was rewarded with a list.

_Total Score_

_Additions_

_Weapon Condition 15%: 150 points_

_Bonds formed x2: 400 points_

_Deductions_

_Dreams Crushed: -1000 points_

_Family Depressed: -2700 points_

_Hearts Broken x10: -1000 points_

_Died to Grimm: -500 points_

_Died a Coward: -350 points_

_Final Score: -5000_

A game score. My life, my failures, and my pitiful achievements, simplified to this. "Negative five thousand," I could only stare in shock, "I was that much of a failure." Looking down once more, I saw a flashing button on the bottom of the list saying "Continue" which I immeadiately pressed to get the list out of my sight only for two smaller screens to open.

_Died for the first time_

_Unlocked: New Game and Continue_

_Achieved score between 0 and -5000_

_Unlocked: Street Rat Jaune_

First, it makes my life seem even more pitiful than it seemed at first, and now it's rewarding me for being horrible at life. closing both screens by preesing red x buttons that appeared in the top right corner of each, I was greeter by yet another screen.

_Remnant: Digital Dilemma_

_New Game_

_Continue_

"Does this mean I can try again. It explained my life with that score board and gave me the new game option so," I pressed the button saying continue, "This should take me back to before I died." _No Save Data. _Great looks like my only option is New Game. Pressing that button instead, the screen disappeared and from the distance two walls and a floor slid into place under me allowing me to actually walk instead of float.

Looking at the wall to my right, I saw nothing but empty alcoves, with unreadable plaques on empty pedestals, but above the alcoves, a single sign was legible. Faunus. To my left was similar alcove with two statues on two of the pedestals, under the sign, Human. Behind me, was only one alcove with the sign above it being marred to a point I couldn't read it. Seeing as my only choices were the two in the Human alcoves, I moved over to the two statues. The first was an exact copy of me when I entered Beacon. Its plaque had a description of it.

_Basic Jaune_

_Special Attributes: None_

_Stat Type: Tank_

_S.P.E.C.I.A.L._

_Strength: 3_

_Perception: 1_

_Endurance: 5_

_Charisma: 1_

_Intelligence: 2_

_Agility: 2_

_Luck: 1_

_Weapons: Heirloom Sword and Shield, Crocea Mors_

_Perks: Adaptable (Can easily be specialized in any class), Kind Heart (enables player to form bonds with most characters)_

_Quirks: Slow Learner (Lacks any training, making it difficult to level up), Fake Confidence (Hinders the player from forming a meaningful relationship), Family Heirloom (Player can not use weapons other than Crocea Mors, and can not augment Crocea Mors)_

_Description: The Basic Jaune, capable of being tailored to any defensive class early on. Can take a beating, but is slow, dimwitted, and lacks street smarts. A kind spirit able to befriend most, but constant flirting and faked courage prevents meaningful relationships from forming._

_Base Relationships_

_Ruby Rose: First Friend (150/5000)_

_Yang Xiao Long: Sister's Friend (10/5000)_

_Weiss Schnee: Annoyance (-5000/5000)_

_Blake Belladonna: Stranger (0/5000)_

_Pyrrha Nikos: Partner (150/5000)_

_Nora Valkyrie: Acquintance (35/5000)_

There were a few more names, but were illegible. "Okay. Pathetic stats, unable to be in a relationship, inability to switch or augment weapons, and no special ablities. While the easy bond forming and class specialization are tempting, they aren't worth the risks. Although, what is with this base relationship value?" When I asked that question, another window appeared.

_Relationship values represent how close the player is to each character. At certain points new social options will become available. Warning: The player can have a set limit on how close they can get to some characters, depending on the current Jaune form. _

"Ok. So I won't be able to reach certain points with some girls. Will you at least tell me who I can't reach points with or what those points are?!" Silence. "Perfect." I said in the most sarcastic tone I could muster. I moved to the other statue. It was another me, but this one was dressed in torn, stained jeans, a shirt that was little more than rags that had been stitched together, a pair of worn-out sneakers. In the boy's right hand was a rusty knife with multiple chips in the broad side of the blade, held in a reverse grip.

_Street Rat Jaune_

_Special Attributes: Street Lord (The player and allies gain a fifty percent defence increase when fighting in cities, are immune to ambushes when in small areas while in a city, and have a twenty-five percent chance of being overlooked if allies are spotted by enemies when hiding in a city)_

_Stat Type: Speedster_

_S.P.E.C.I.A.L._

_Strength: 3_

_Perception: 4_

_Endurance: 2_

_Charisma: 3+1_

_Intelligence: 3_

_Agility: 6_

_Luck: 3_

_Weapons: Rusty Dagger, Cutpurse_

_Perks: Street Face (Years of living on the streets has taught you to change your expression even under extreme stress, +1 Charisma), Coin Magnet (Increases Lien earned from battle, missions, and gives the player the ability to steal Lien from other characters)_

_Quirks: Paranoia (Street instincts make it where you find it hard to trust others, making it tough to form bonds, but bonds that are formed, begin twice as strong as other bonds), Rep Trap (Most stores will refuse to sell to you due to your rep as a street rat)_

_Description: Street Rat Jaune was abandoned as a child, leaving him to fend for himself. His trademark weapon, Cutpurse, requires him to get in close in a fight, so his fighting style relies on swift strikes and agility, rather than strength. His instincts make it hard for him to trust others, meaning bonds and relationships are twice as hard to form._

_Base Relaionships_

_Ruby Rose: Pitied Friend (125/5000)_

_Yang Xiao Long: Fellow Troublemaker (65/5000)_

_Weiss Schnee: Criminal (-5000/5000)_

_Blake Belladonna: Kindred Spirit (150/5000)_

_Pyrrha Nikos: Silent Partner (125/5000)_

_Nora Valkyrie: Silent Acquaintance (50/5000)_

Like the first plaque, the reamaining names were illegible. "Better Stats, I make money faster than normal meaning that I can switch out Cutpurse for a new weapon at one point, bonds may take more work, but they will be twice as strong when they're formed, and my friends will be better protected if they're attacked in the city. Though I won't be able to take as many hits in a fight, my speed would make up for that. Stores refusing to sell to me would be a problem if it is required, but my friends might be able to understand the circumstances and buy my stuff for me, after I give them the money to pay for it."

With my choice clear, I was about to choose Street Rat Jaune, but noticed a design carved into the marble infront of the statues shoes. It was the head of a rat withe a dagger stabbed through the skull. Upon closer inspection of the staue's dagger, the chips formed a rough version of the same symbol. Looking at the marble of Basic Jaune's pedestal, I saw the same symbol that was on Crocea Mors.

With my curiosity satisfied, I moved back to the Street Rat Jaune pedestal and placed my hand on the statue's pedestal. The whole structure was engulfed in golden light before the lgiht faded revealing an door. Stepping through the door, I began to feel nauseous and lost consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Jaune Arc: Digital Dilemma**

**No big speech this time.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 2: Character Creation_

_Jaune POV_

I open my eyes and found myself in an alley, although everywhere I looked the world around me was grey and the people on the sidewalk outside the alley were frozen in place. A slight ping noise alerted me of a screen appearing before me.

_Welcome to Remnant: Digital Dilemma_

_Before you begin, would you like a brief tutorial?_

Sure. I need to learn the ropes.

_There are three things you need to know._

_One: Your health, aura, and stamina can be found in the form of three bars inthe upper left corner of your vision._

The same bars it talked about appeared. Based on my knowledge of RPG games, red is health, blue is aura, and green is stamina.

_Two: You can open your menu by saying "Pause"_

_Three: Your menu consists of five tabs; Charcter, Inventory, Skills, Map, and Missions. The Character tab enables the player to save, view your stats, professions, bonuses, and relationships with other character. The Inventory tab contains equipment, consumables, and gifts. The Skills tab allows the player to allocate skill points earned by leveling up. The Map tab displays the map of the area the player is currently in (Any part of the area the player has not explored will not appear on the map. The Missions tab allows the player to focus on certain objectives if currently undertaking several missions._

When I closed the window, time start once again. Standing up I noticed that I was slighty shorter than a dumpster. When I joined Beacon, I was a lot taller than this, so I must be around six years old. "If I'm restarting life, shouldn't I start from when I was a baby?" I asked myself. Once again the world stopped and a window appeared.

_To avoid boredom of having to relive birth and childhood over and over again, the player will be sent into the game at the age of six, to learn the ropes, and grow accostomed to their new lives._

Looks like I'm stuck on the streets for ten years.

_Nine Years and 335 days later_

I was arrested by cops when I refused to leave a shop that wouldn't sell me anything. The cops arrested me because of my rep as Street Lord of South Vale. I've picked wallets out of the pockets of police officers, set up a thriving underground empire, and even managed to single-handedly steal a ruby necklace from the Golden Gale Jewelry Store, the tenth highest, tightly secured shop in South Vale.

They brought me to an interrogation cell, which confused me. Considering they had numerous warrants for my arrest, they didn't immeadiately throw me in a prison cell. As I was about to ask the cops that were behind the one-way glass (I've been in and out of here enough times to know this place like the back of my hand), two people came into the room. A tall man in a black suit with black dress pants, dress shoes, and a green button-up shirt underneath,who seemed to be in his late thirties came in sipping on a cup of coffee and carrying a tray of cinnamon rolls from the local bakery. To his right was a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties, in a white blouse, black skirt, fishnet leggings, high heeled boots with the right boot having a riding crop sticking out, and a purple cape. She seemed to look at me as if I was about to attack them. Ozpin and Goodwitch. It's nice to see them again.

"Mr. Arc I have heard reports of your theivery, and they have honestly surprised me. Stealing from the Golden Gale Jewelry Store is no small feat. Not only that, according to police reports you have out ran and out manuvered a beowolf that entered the city and kept it occupied until hunters arrived." Here comes the invitation. "I believe that with proper training, your skills could be used to help the world, rather than earn a few lien for a single job. As such, I wish to invite you to my school." I've gotten a whole empire under my thumb. I earn more than "a few lien."

"Sorry sir. Not interested." I know there is something more here.

"Shame. I guess the large monthly student stipend of one thousand lien which if not completely used, the rest becomes the student's money to use as they see fit." Ozpin's smirk was almost vocal as he saw me widen my eyes. Jackpot, thank you Street Face.

"Sir, you have a deal." With that final sentence, I was heading back to Beacon Academy.

**Not as long as my last chapter, but this is because I am saving the big ideas for Beacon. This means uploads will slow down a bit, but I will try to post them as fast as I can. See you all in the next chapter.**


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